NATALIE DON MSP URGES RENFREWSHIRE RESIDENTS TO SHARE VIEWS ON GOVERNMENT’S PLANS TO DELIVER A BETTER DEAL FOR RENTING TENANTS

Natalie Don MSP is encouraging Renfrewshire residents to share their views on the Scottish Government’s new plans to deliver a new deal for tenants, with stronger rights, greater protections against eviction and access to greener, higher quality, more affordable housing.

The MSP for Renfrewshire North and West is urging local people to input their opinions via a consultation about the Scottish Government’s ’A New Deal for Tenants’ strategy which aim to deliver a fairer rented sector that meets the needs of tenants and welcomes responsible landlords.

The proposals include:

  • increasing penalties for illegal evictions and stronger enforcement

  • restricting evictions during winter

  • giving tenants greater flexibility to personalise their homes and keep pets

  • developing a national system of rent controls for the private rented sector

  • introducing a new housing standard to apply to all homes

  • establishing a private rented sector regulator to uphold these standards and ensure the system is fair for both landlords and tenants

  • setting minimum standards for energy efficiency and making homes cheaper to heat

Natalie Don MSP is encouraging Renfrewshire residents to share their views on the Scottish Government’s ’A New Deal for Tenants’ strategy.

Natalie Don MSP said: “I am pleased to see the Scottish Government is proposing to take important steps towards delivering an improved fairer rented sector that better meets the needs of both tenants and responsible landlords in Renfrewshire and across Scotland.

“I urge Renfrewshire tenants who are renting from a housing association, the council or from a private landlord to share their views on how the new strategy can give them more decision-making power over their homes, which should all be of an ensured high quality, safe and energy efficient.”

The measures outlined in the consultation are proposed to form part of the government’s Housing to 2040 strategy, with feedback helping to shape the final version to be published in 2022, with elements put to the Scottish Parliament in a Housing Bill during 2023.

For more information about the government’s consultation, which ends on 15 April 2022, go to www.gov.scot/publications/new-deal-tenants-draft-strategy-consultation-paper